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Probing the growth and mechanical properties of Bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies

Bacterial communities form biofilms on various surfaces by synthesizing a cohesive and protective extracellular matrix, and these biofilms protect microorganisms against harsh environmental conditions. Bacillus subtilis is a widely used experimental species, and its biofilms are used as representati...

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Autores principales: Liu, Suying, Huang, Jiaofang, Zhang, Chen, Wang, Lihua, Fan, Chunhai, Zhong, Chao
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: KeAi Publishing 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9194759/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35756965
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.synbio.2022.05.005
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author Liu, Suying
Huang, Jiaofang
Zhang, Chen
Wang, Lihua
Fan, Chunhai
Zhong, Chao
author_facet Liu, Suying
Huang, Jiaofang
Zhang, Chen
Wang, Lihua
Fan, Chunhai
Zhong, Chao
author_sort Liu, Suying
collection PubMed
description Bacterial communities form biofilms on various surfaces by synthesizing a cohesive and protective extracellular matrix, and these biofilms protect microorganisms against harsh environmental conditions. Bacillus subtilis is a widely used experimental species, and its biofilms are used as representative models of beneficial biofilms. Specifically, B. subtilis biofilms are known to be rich in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and other biopolymers such as DNA and proteins like the amyloid protein TasA and the hydrophobic protein BslA. These materials, which form an interconnected, cohesive, three-dimensional polymer network, provide the mechanical stability of biofilms and mediate their adherence to surfaces among other functional contributions. Here, we explored how genetically-encoded components specifically contribute to regulate the growth status, mechanical properties, and antibiotic resistance of B. subtilis biofilms, thereby establishing a solid empirical basis for understanding how various genetic engineering efforts are likely to affect the structure and function of biofilms. We noted discrete contributions to biofilm morphology, mechanical properties, and survival from major biofilm components such as EPS, TasA and BslA. For example, EPS plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the mechanical properties and the antibiotic resistance of biofilms, whereas BslA has a significant impact on the resolution that can be obtained for printing applications. This work provides a deeper understanding of the internal interactions of biofilm components through systematic genetic manipulations. It thus not only broadens the application prospects of beneficial biofilms, but also serves as the basis of future strategies for targeting and effectively removing harmful biofilms.
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spelling pubmed-91947592022-06-23 Probing the growth and mechanical properties of Bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies Liu, Suying Huang, Jiaofang Zhang, Chen Wang, Lihua Fan, Chunhai Zhong, Chao Synth Syst Biotechnol Article Bacterial communities form biofilms on various surfaces by synthesizing a cohesive and protective extracellular matrix, and these biofilms protect microorganisms against harsh environmental conditions. Bacillus subtilis is a widely used experimental species, and its biofilms are used as representative models of beneficial biofilms. Specifically, B. subtilis biofilms are known to be rich in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and other biopolymers such as DNA and proteins like the amyloid protein TasA and the hydrophobic protein BslA. These materials, which form an interconnected, cohesive, three-dimensional polymer network, provide the mechanical stability of biofilms and mediate their adherence to surfaces among other functional contributions. Here, we explored how genetically-encoded components specifically contribute to regulate the growth status, mechanical properties, and antibiotic resistance of B. subtilis biofilms, thereby establishing a solid empirical basis for understanding how various genetic engineering efforts are likely to affect the structure and function of biofilms. We noted discrete contributions to biofilm morphology, mechanical properties, and survival from major biofilm components such as EPS, TasA and BslA. For example, EPS plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the mechanical properties and the antibiotic resistance of biofilms, whereas BslA has a significant impact on the resolution that can be obtained for printing applications. This work provides a deeper understanding of the internal interactions of biofilm components through systematic genetic manipulations. It thus not only broadens the application prospects of beneficial biofilms, but also serves as the basis of future strategies for targeting and effectively removing harmful biofilms. KeAi Publishing 2022-06-03 /pmc/articles/PMC9194759/ /pubmed/35756965 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.synbio.2022.05.005 Text en © 2022 The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Liu, Suying
Huang, Jiaofang
Zhang, Chen
Wang, Lihua
Fan, Chunhai
Zhong, Chao
Probing the growth and mechanical properties of Bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies
title Probing the growth and mechanical properties of Bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies
title_full Probing the growth and mechanical properties of Bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies
title_fullStr Probing the growth and mechanical properties of Bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies
title_full_unstemmed Probing the growth and mechanical properties of Bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies
title_short Probing the growth and mechanical properties of Bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies
title_sort probing the growth and mechanical properties of bacillus subtilis biofilms through genetic mutation strategies
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9194759/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35756965
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.synbio.2022.05.005
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